MouthPad (implant for computer control)

2024: Product Announcement

In mid-June 2024, Augmental, a subsidiary of MIT Media Lab, introduced the MouthPad mouth implant for controlling computers and smartphones using the language. Augmental's new product was created for paralysed people and has already been trialled by 40 early access customers.

MouthPad is a special device with a trackpad, mounted on the palate and tracking the movements of the tongue. The interface converts these movements into scrolling the cursor and pressing the keys, transmitting them via Bluetooth to a computer or smartphone. Previously, MouthPad could only be purchased in a few cities, and an oral scan was required for installation. By mid-2024, Augmental had created a network of more than 50 partner dentists and presented customers with the option of remote enrollment throughout the United States.

Augmental

Drawing on feedback from early users, Augmental added a head motion tracking feature to the device with a pair of sensors that convert head tilts into cursor sliding across the screen. Thanks to this, the Bluetooth controller provides high-quality control over cursor movements, comparable to the use of a computer mouse. In head tracking mode, users can still use the trackpad in the sky to click the mouse buttons, scroll through and scroll through the pages. Users can switch between modes and calibrate the device trackpad using a companion application.

These new methods of computer interaction empower paralyzed people and allow them to create new content, from selfies to music.

MouthPad has already changed the lives of our first users for the better, and we are very happy to offer our invention to anyone who needs to interact with a computer without the help of hands, "said Thomas Vega, co-founder and CEO of Augmental.[1]

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